Thomas L. Jennings (1791- 1856)

February 02, 2009 
/ Contributed By: Nick Manos

Dry clean rack

Photo by Simon Law

Thomas L. Jennings was the first black man to receive a patent. The patent was awarded on March 3, 1821 (US Patent 3306x) for his discovery of a process called dry-scouring which was the forerunner of todayโ€™s modern dry-cleaning.ย  Jennings was born free in New York City, New York in 1791. In his early 20s he became a tailor but then opened a dry cleaning business in the city.ย  While running his business Jennings developed dry-scouring.

The patent to Jennings generated considerable controversy during this period.ย Slaves at this time could not patent their own inventions; their effort was the property of their master. This regulation dated back to the US patent laws of 1793.ย  The regulation was based on the legal presumption that “the master is the owner of the fruits of the labor of the slave both manual and intellectual.โ€ Patent courts also held that slaves were not citizens and therefore could not own rights to their inventions. In 1861 patent rights were finally extended to slaves.

Thomas Jennings, however, was a free man and thus was able to gain exclusive rights to his invention and profit from it. Jennings was a passionate abolitionist who used the income from his invention to free the rest of his family from slavery and fund abolitionist causes. He served as assistant secretary of the First Annual Convention of the People of Color which met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in June 1831.

Thomas Jennings died in New York City in 1856.

About the Author

Author Profile

Nick Manos was born on July 5th 1983 in Seattle, Washington. Nick began his academic career at St. Josephโ€™s elementary and middle school which he would attend for nine years until high school. In 1998 he enrolled at Bishop Blanchet and then transferred to Roosevelt High School to finish his AA degree at Seattle Central Community College while in the Running Start program. Nick eventually enrolled at the University of Washington where he is currently pursuing a degree in History while working as a catering manager for the Seattle Aquarium.

CITE THIS ENTRY IN APA FORMAT:

Manos, N. (2009, February 02). Thomas L. Jennings (1791- 1856). BlackPast.org. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/jennings-thomas-l-1791-1856/

Source of the Author's Information:

Mary Bellis, Thomas Jennings: Thomas Jennings was the first African American to receive a patent, http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bljennings.htm; Joan Potter, African American Firsts (New York: Kensington Publishing Group, 2002).

Further Reading